'Space' Technology Alliance To Accelerate Fuel Cell Research
13 June 2000
IMPCO and Alcoa's Thiokol Propulsion Form Technology Alliance To Accelerate Fuel Cell Technologies
IRVINE, Calif. - IMPCO Technologies, Inc. announced today that its
Advanced Technology Center in Irvine, CA, has formed a strategic technology
alliance with NASA Space Shuttle rocket booster manufacturer, Thiokol
Propulsion, Alcoa Industrial Components Group, a subsidiary of Alcoa Inc.
The alliance provides IMPCO access to over 1,000 Thiokol scientists,
engineers and support personnel experienced in the handling and management of
hydrogen fuel and allows IMPCO to advance the commercialization of Thiokol's
unique composite conformable hydrogen fuel storage tank technology for the
emerging automotive fuel cell markets.
Syed Hussain, Vice President and General Manager of IMPCO's Technology and
Automotive OEM Division said, "This alliance is mutually beneficial to IMPCO
and Thiokol. Our OEM customers will benefit by the expansion of IMPCO's
research capabilities and resources in hydrogen and CNG fuel technology.
Thiokol benefits by maintaining its core competency and focus on research and
development as IMPCO will manage the product development and commercialization
of their technologies. This will broaden IMPCO's product portfolio to our
customers. We are delighted to partner with such a prominent company as
Thiokol and we look forward to developing a long term relationship."
Under the terms of the agreement, IMPCO will obtain exclusive
manufacturing and distribution rights to technologies developed by Thiokol
applicable to fuel delivery and storage systems for alternative fuel and fuel
cell vehicles. The IMPCO-Thiokol alliance provides IMPCO access to over 1,000
Thiokol scientists, engineers and support personnel experienced in the
handling and management of hydrogen fuel as well as many other energetic
materials. One of the first products IMPCO will develop for commercialization
is Thiokol's unique, advanced composite conformable storage tank technology.
This technology expands IMPCO's product line and complements IMPCO's
"TriShield" ultra-lightweight composite gaseous fuel storage cylinders which
are critical components required for optimizing the storage of on-board
hydrogen fuel for fuel cell vehicles. The conformable tank technology allows
for varying shapes, unlike conventional cylindrical shaped hydrogen storage
tanks. Commercialization of fuel cell vehicles by the world's major
automobile manufacturing companies is anticipated to begin in 2003.
Recently, IMPCO announced it has been awarded a major $2.6M DOE contract
for development of the next generation high performance hydrogen storage tank
technology designed for use on internal combustion engine vehicles and fuel
cell vehicle applications. Thiokol will also participate with IMPCO and the
DOE in this program.
IMPCO is a leading designer, manufacturer and supplier of fuel storage,
fuel delivery and electronic control systems that allow internal combustion
engines and fuel cells to operate using clean fuels such as hydrogen, propane,
natural gas and methanol. IMPCO's advanced fuel system technologies are
designed to optimize efficiency and performance by electronically sensing and
regulating the proper proportion of fuel and air used by internal combustion
engines and fuel cell systems. IMPCO supplies its products and fuel system
integration to original equipment manufacturers of motor vehicles, truck,
buses, forklifts, material handling equipment and small portable to large
stationary engines. IMPCO also supplies these products and services to the
global aftermarket as well.
Headquartered in Cerritos, California, IMPCO has more than 400 distributors
and dealers and 14 offices and facilities worldwide including: United States,
Australia, Japan and Mexico, IMPCO operates in the Netherlands, France, Germany
and the United Kingdom as IMCO-BERU Technologies, B.V.